Eight plants that have kept
Zimbabwe well for centuries

The baobab (Adansonia digitata) — called mawuyu in Shona and umkhomo in Ndebele — is Zimbabwe's most iconic tree. It can live for 2,000 years and bears a fruit unique in the plant world: it self-desiccates on the tree. No heat-drying required. The pulp inside the hard outer shell naturally dries to a cream-coloured powder as moisture evaporates through the shell. This powder is sieved and packed without additives, preservatives or spray-drying. Origin Zim sources from wild-harvested baobab in Zimbabwe's Lowveld a sustainable harvest that supports rural communities around Masvingo province.

Lippia javanica (Zumbani in Shona, Umsuzwane in Ndebele) is a wild lemon-scented shrub growing across Zimbabwe's bushveld and grasslands. Its leaves have been harvested and brewed as a medicinal tea for generations used for coughs, colds, chest pains and fever. Research published by the University of Zimbabwe and international institutions has confirmed its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Crucially, it has higher radical scavenging activity than rooibos tea. Origin Zim's zumbani is hand-harvested and shade-dried to preserve its volatile oils the compounds responsible for its distinctive lemon-pine fragrance and most of its medicinal properties. Only leaves and fine stems are used.

Bidens pilosa — known as mtsine in Shona and ucucuza in Ndebele, and widely called black jack across Zimbabwe — is one of the most versatile medicinal herbs in the African wild herb pharmacopoeia. It grows freely across Zimbabwe's bushveld, grasslands and cultivated margins. Traditionally brewed as a tea for malaria, diabetes management, wound healing, digestive complaints and immune support. Research across several African universities has confirmed its antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antitumour activities. The bitter taste which many Zimbabweans dilute with honey or blend with Zumbani is a marker of its active compounds. Origin Zim packs only the leaves and fine stems, shade-dried to preserve the volatile phytochemicals that give the tea its character.

Makoni tea is made from the leaves of Fadogia ancylantha — a wild perennial shrub growing on the rolling hillsides of Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands, particularly around Nyanga in Manicaland. Named after Chief Makoni, according to tradition the tea was used by the Chief's warriors for stamina and recovery. The leaves are harvested when ripe, allowed to partially ferment giving the tea its characteristic warm, earthy-smoky flavour and golden-red colour and then dried. Research by the University of Zimbabwe confirmed its antidiabetic, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and found zinc content four to five times higher than rooibos tea. Origin Zim works with the Makoni Indigenous Tea Producers' Association and other community groups to ensure the harvest is sustainable and the income remains in the 11` community.

Cassia abbreviata — known as murumanyama or muremberembe in Shona and isihaqa in Ndebele is a medium-sized tree found across Zimbabwe's Mashonaland and Midlands regions. It has one of the broadest traditional use profiles of any Zimbabwean medicinal tree: gastrointestinal health, back pain, circulation support, anti-malarial use, sexually transmitted infections and as a general body tonic. In traditional practice the bark is simmered in water and the tea drunk as a strengthening tonic. Scientific research has confirmed antibacterial, antimalarial, antiparasitic, antiviral, antioxidant and antidiabetic properties — a pharmacological profile that validates the breadth of its traditional applications.

The seeds of the baobab fruit have been roasted and brewed as a hot drink in Zimbabwe's communal areas for generations particularly in the Lowveld around Masvingo and Beitbridge where baobab trees are abundant and coffee was never available to rural communities. The seeds are extracted from the dried fruit, roasted over fire until dark and aromatic, then ground to a coarse powder. Brewed in hot water, the result is a drink that looks and smells remarkably like coffee dark, slightly bitter, with a natural earthiness and underlying sweetness from the baobab's natural sugars. It contains no caffeine whatsoever, making it an ideal morning drink for those avoiding caffeine, or an evening hot drink for those who still want the ritual of coffee without the stimulant.